The city issued building permits for the stores on Robert Boulevard, between North Boulevard and Dijon Drive, and on Pontchartrain Drive adjacent to the Winn-Dixie on May 19, said Eric Lundin, a planner in Slidell's Planning Department. Both permits expire Nov. 15, he said.

Clearing work has begun at a large wooded area on Robert Boulevard where a 41,839-square-foot store will be built. That store generated opposition from some nearby residents, who wanted the city to block it.

But because the vacant land was already zoned C-2 neighborhood commercial, which allows such businesses, city officials said they couldn't legally stop the store from coming in.

City Councilman Jay Newcomb said he had not received any "major complaints'' recently, but thought he might hear more from area residents once construction picks up.

Slidell Mayor Freddy Drennan said the city has monitored the permitting process and will do the same during construction.

"Some of the residents couldn't understand why the city would let it go in,'' Drennan said. "But the city doesn't have the right to go and stop it.''

Some area residents raised concerns about the loss of the green space -- the site has been heavily wooded for many years -- as well as an increase in traffic congestion and noise. Others wondered why the city needs another grocery store, particularly a Walmart, which already operates two much larger stores in the city.

The Neighborhood Markets are significantly smaller than Walmart Supercenters, which are usually in the range of 180,000 square feet.

Drennan and Newcomb have said they understand the concerns of the area residents, especially those whose homes back up to the Robert Boulevard site. Drennan also said the city doesn't -- and shouldn't -- have much say over whether there's too many grocery stores.

"Do you want a city government that says 'We don't want anymore Taco Bells, or Walgreens?''' he said. "We have to let free enterprise and capitalism take its course.''

Representatives of Walmart told a crowd gathered during a meeting in February that the store would be situated in such a way to have as much of the green space as possible. Trucks will be restricted to entering and exiting from Robert.

The store on Pontchartrain, which will be 41,117 square feet, has generated less controversy. It is being built at the site of the old John Jay Centre, where the buildings were destroyed by Hurricane Katrina's massive flooding in 2005. When news broke last year that Walmart was interested in locating a grocery on the site, Drennan and other city officials said they would be happy to have that vacant site put back into commerce.